Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Just the plot.

A/N: Hey guys, so I made a BIG blunder. I posted the 3rd chapter (this chapter) as the 2nd chapter. So please go back and read the 2nd chapter, which is the latest that I have updated. But now I have made all the necessary corrections.

I am so so so sorry. Please feel free to ask any questions that you may have. Next update will be next week on Wednesday as usual.

Chapter – Selfishness and Emotional Blackmail

Audrey,

How are you? Christmas holidays are just not the same without you. Aiden misses you so much, my poor boy, as do your father and I, have no doubt; but Aiden, he has been moping around ever since we told him that you won't be coming with us to the States. I really wish you would come with us.

I know that I am just repeating what I said in my past letters, and you are going to continue ignoring my pleas as you have been doing ever since you 'grew up'. I really can't understand what happened, you used to be such an obedient child, always listening to what we told you but now look at you, all of a sudden turning all independent on your poor parents and willfully deciding to stay in school without prior discussion or permission, from us! And your father, I honestly don't know what is going on in his mind, allowing you to do whatever you like. Do you really wish to spend Christmas, a festival that celebrates the family, apart from your blood family?! Since when did friends become so important in your life that you are going to leave us to stay with them. And where will you go for mass? Does that school of yours even have a church?!

We haven't seen your Grandma and Aunt Ingrid and her family for such a long time, don't you wish to meet them? You are always jumping to meet your father's brothers and their family, so why not my mother and Ingrid? I bet you would get along wonderfully with Rose and Natalie now. Please sweetie, we may still be able to arrange with your headmaster and you can just, you know, arrive straight to the United States through the chimney. Won't you reconsider your decision for your poor mother's sake?

My heart can't bear the image of you spending Christmas all alone. You still have time to reconsider your decision, or you'll just end up spending the holidays in regret.

Your mother

I folded the letter carefully, placed it in my bed-side drawer and then did a face-plant onto my bed. This was the most recent of the seven letters I had gotten from my mother since my decision to stay in school during the winter holidays and it wasn't even the worst one. The starting ones had had me in tears but I hadn't backed down from the first major decision I had made in my life. Now they didn't affect me as much, also I got the feeling that dad was starting to wear her down.

There were several reasons why I wasn't going home for the holidays, none of which included my supposed extreme attachment to my friends as my mother had repeatedly accused me of. In fact, none of my friends had even stayed back for the holidays. The first reason was the financial strain the trip was going to cause, two-way air tickets for four people didn't come cheap, not only that but our Aunt Ingrid and Grandma didn't have enough place for us to stay (or so they said) and so the hotel fare would be considerable. My dad was the financial manager in a bank but even on his salary, the trip would put a heavy dent on the family savings, so to lighten his load a little, I had suggested this idea of staying behind,to him and only him, during the summer holidays. While he had protested at first, I had managed to wheedle him into agreeing by pointing out my second reason - my Aunt Ingrid, and her family.

Let's just say that, that if my father could have avoided this visit, he would have, he dislikes them almost as much as me. Almost. He after all doesn't have to make nice with the cousins from hell.

My third reason was highly selfish, well so was the second... but not more than this. I had just wanted to defy my mother. I had wanted to make a decision on my own, one that would show her that I wasn't just 'her daughter' but rather an individual who had an identity apart from her. Whose life she couldn't always control.

But anyway, now I was more determined than ever to show them, her, that I didn't regret my choice and this wasn't a mistake.

And it turns out, that staying in Hogwarts during Christmas wasn't going to be so bad after all.

I rolled onto my back, a dreamy grin on my face. It felt pretty good to get attention from a guy, specially a cute one. And it was Remus, one of the Marauders.

Most of the guys that I knew who were cute were either committed or didn't pay attention to me. I was the typical Hufflepuff mouse, quite and slightly nerdy, so wasn't paid much attention to by the brawnier sex. This was largely due to the fact that my quiet nature and even quieter looks made me a 'safe' friend for the girls. I think, though i haven't mentioned this to anyone, that they felt that I wasn't likely to steal their boyfriends, or bitch about them or be competition material and hence I had a lot of girl-friends. A lot of them. In fact I was on talking terms with all the girls in my year from all four houses with only a notable few exception. And so, in the crowd with my better looking girl-friends, I was the one who was largely ignored by the guys.

Oh God, I talked to Remus Lupin today, even did my homework with him, and then had dinner with him at his table! At these thoughts all the tingling warmth in my stomach that had been present since breakfast, traveled out of me in a burst of giddy giggles. I recalled the letter to Remus by his friends, and Sirius and James' antics, they still brought a flush to my face. And it was so weird that both Remus and I were staying here in the holidays contrary to the wishes of those close to us. But I was curious of his reasons for staying behind, I mean even if he hadn't wanted to go home, he could very well stay with his friends, so why wasn't he?

And there had been the strange moment during dinner when the howler had come up as a topic of conversation and I had remarked that Sirius didn't seem like the type to write letters and he had said quietly with a strangely somber kind of expression on his face, "He isn't usually." And that had been it. He had been quiet and contemplative all through dinner after that and we had parted ways in the Entrance Hall with a smile and mutual "Goodnights."

Was there trouble in the Marauder paradise?

It isn't any of my business, I told myself firmly, who knew the kind of problems the Marauders had. I didn't want to tangle myself in them. Christmas with one of them was enough for me.

And still the prospect of winter holidays in Hogwarts had never looked better.